And Now
by arysa13
Summary: Alternate scenes to 2x14.


**I got a series of prompts that were basically fix it scenes from 2x14, so I put them all together.**

* * *

"Jug? What happened? Are you okay?"

Betty leads the others outside where Jughead has just hung up the phone. His mouth forms a tight line, his eyes filled with betrayal.

"That was Cheryl. She said you and Archie kissed in front of her house."

Betty glances at Archie, at a loss for words. He was never supposed to find out this way. He was never supposed to find out _at all_.

"Well?" Jughead demands. "Is it true?"

The guilty silence says it all, but Jughead still waits for an answer.

"Yes," Betty finally says, her voice barely a whisper. The hurt and disbelief on his face is unbearable. "Jug—" she starts. He shakes his head and shoves past them, hitting Archie's shoulder with his as he storms inside. Betty swallows. She can feel both Archie and Veronica's eyes boring into her. She knows she needs to go after Jughead and explain, but she has no idea what she's going to say to him.

She finds the will to move her feet, following Jughead inside. She finds him in the living room, picking up his bag that Archie had dumped there when they'd first walked in.

"Jug, can we talk about this?" Betty says.

"I'm not in the mood for talking," Jughead snaps.

"Please, Jug," Betty begs. "Don't leave like this. You'll feel better if you just let me explain."

"Fine." He drops the bag and it slams to the floor. "You want to explain? Explain. Explain to me why you _lied_ when I asked you _point blank_ if anything had happened while we were broken up. I told you about Toni."

"I couldn't, Jug!" Betty says. "It was Archie."

"And that makes it ten times worse!" Jughead spits. "How am I supposed to trust you after this?"

"Give her a break, Jughead," Archie says, Betty turns to see Archie and Veronica have come back inside. "There were two people there that night."

"You think that makes it better? Not only did my girlfriend betray me, my best friend did too!"

"Jughead," Veronica says, her voice a warning. "Calm down."

"How can you be okay with this?" Jughead asks her.

"Because, Jughead. I've had time to think about it. It happened when we were broken up. I trust Archie. It was one stupid kiss! It meant nothing. Right guys?"

Betty and Archie stay silent. Betty glances at Archie. She can't bring herself to say it meant nothing, and Archie looks just as hesitant. Her heart lurches.

"A lot of crazy things happened that night, Jug," Betty says, turning back to him. Jughead glances at her. He still looks upset, but he seems to have calmed down a little.

"I wish you'd told me," Jughead says bitterly.

"If I could go back, I swear I would. I'm sorry you had to find out from Cheryl," Betty says. Jughead nods.

"I think I need some time to process," he says.

"I know what will make us all feel better," Veronica smirks. "My famous jalapeno margaritas!"

* * *

Things were supposed to be good again, after Betty and Jughead made up. But one phone call from her mom, and the four of them are at each other's throats again.

"I am so sick of your vendetta against my dad!" Veronica says, exasperated. "He's done plenty of good things."

Betty is seething at Veronica's attempts to stick up for her shady father. Wasn't it only a few months ago she suspected the man of criminal activity herself?

"Like what?" Betty challenges. "Name one thing."

"He's—" Veronica tries, but comes up short.

"He paid my dad's medical bills!" Archie interjects. _Lucky Veronica has Archie to stick up for her_ , Betty thinks bitterly. How Archie is so far under her thumb, Betty will never fathom.

"Boy, Archie, Veronica's got you wrapped around her little finger," Jughead says. He's not wrong.

"And other parts of her body," Betty adds. It's a cheap shot, petty and judgemental, but the words are out of her mouth before she can even stop to think about what she's saying.

"Ohh," Veronica scoffs. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry we don't spend our time being tragic and moping, and holding hands while watching serial killer documentaries. Oh! And wearing costumes to role play to get our rocks off."

Betty stares at Veronica in disbelief. She doesn't dare look at Archie. She'd told Veronica that in confidence. Her face flames, wondering what Archie must think of her.

"That's none of your business," Betty snaps. "There's no need to make it personal."

"Oh, I think you're the one who made in personal, Betty," Veronica says, her smile vindictive. "So Archie and I like to have a lot of sex. Does that bother you?"

Betty gapes at Veronica. It _shouldn't_ bother her, she knows that. But does it? A little bit.

"You want to know what I think?" Veronica says, stepping closer, and Betty knows she has to brace herself for what's coming next. This is the old Veronica coming out, and Betty knows she can never win against someone that spiteful. "I think you're jealous. I think you never stopped wanting Archie, and the first chance you had to kiss him, you took it. And now you can't stop thinking about how you wish it was Archie when you're with Jughead, and you can't get the image of me and Archie out of your head, wishing it was you he was screwing instead. Am I close?"

Betty doesn't even get the chance to defend herself, for a split second later the sound of smashing glass makes them all jump, and moments later a guy in a black hood is storming into the room. But even as the masked men demand Veronica's money, even as they threaten the four of them, even as they take the cash and run, Betty can't stop thinking about Veronica's comments, trying to convince herself they're not true.

* * *

Betty and Archie walk to school together on Monday. Betty feels a little awkward, remembering the things Veronica had said. Hopefully Archie think Veronica was just being purposefully spiteful, and that none of it was true.

"We never talked about it, you know," Archie says, out of the blue, startling Betty from her thoughts.

"About what?"

"The kiss."

"There was no reason to," Betty assures him. "It was just a stupid kiss, right?" she says, echoing Jughead's words from before he kissed Veronica in the hot tub.

"Do you think they believe that?" Archie asks, as if he doesn't quite believe it himself. Betty hesitates.

"No," she admits. The things Veronica had said. The way Jughead had reacted. The way he'd said _It's just a stupid kiss, right?_ Like it was a challenge. Like he knew a kiss was never really just a kiss.

"Do _you_ believe it?" Archie asks. She glances at him, but he's looking steadfastly ahead. "Did it really mean nothing?"

"Come on, Arch," she says, shaking her head. "It's you. It's never going to be nothing. But we made our choices."

Archie nods. "And now we have to live with them."


End file.
